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With no end in sight to the partial government shutdown, and the possibility that 800,000 federal workers will miss another paycheck at the end of this week, the Trump Administration reported Monday that ‘unscheduled absences’ by TSA airport screeners hit 10 percent on Sunday, with that number jumping over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, as security screeners continue to work without pay because of a battle between the President and Democrats in Congress over funding for a border wall. “TSA experienced a national rate of 10 percent of unscheduled absences compared to a 3.1 percent rate one year ago on the same weekday,” the Transportation Security Administration reported, again using the same language in a daily news release that “many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations.” The number of absent screeners had held around 6 percent much of last week, but the TSA reported the number of screeners not showing up for work as planned hit 7 percent on Friday, 8 percent on Saturday, and then 10 percent on Sunday. . @TSA says that 10 percent of its workforce had an 'unscheduled absence' Sunday, compared to just 3.1 percent on the same day last year; that means more than 3,000 TSA agents called off #GovernmentShutdown — Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) January 21, 2019 The TSA said in a news release that ‘99.9 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes’ to go through airport screening on Sunday. But on Saturday, excessive sick calls by TSA airport screeners forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to use emergency plans to deal with the lack of airport screeners, closing a major security checkpoint early at the airport. That major checkpoint for Southwest Airlines flights wasn’t closed for just a few hours – but remained shut down on Sunday and Monday as well, because of a lack of security screeners. “It is important to clarify that it is not unusual for TSA and BWI Marshall to open or close one of our security checkpoints,” the airport said in a written statement. “This will have minimal, if any, impact on passengers and no impact on airport operations,” the BWI statement read. . @TSA in collaboration with airport authorities &amp; servicing airlines will be exercising a contingency plan at @BWI_Airport due to excessive callouts. Checkpoint A will be closing at 5:35pm. Passengers should arrive early for evening flights. Contact airport &amp; airlines for updates — TSA (@TSA) January 19, 2019 Earlier this month, press reports of airport screeners calling in sick because of the government shutdown – and the lack of pay for screeners – was denounced as ‘fake news’ by a top Department of Homeland Security spokesman, as well as the White House. Like other federal workers, TSA screeners have been coming to work since the partial government shutdown started on December 22; they were paid as scheduled on December 29, but missed a check on January 11, and a second check may not be paid on January 25.

A 9-year-old boy driving an all-terrain vehicle crashed over the weekend, killing a 58-year-old passenger in Osceola County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. >> Read more trending news Troopers said the boy was trying to avoid another ATV Saturday on 8 Mile Ranch Road when the vehicle he was operating hit a brim and overturned onto Laura Bizzell, of Avon Park. The boy suffered minor injuries, but Bizzell died, according to the FHP. The other ATV driver, Samuel Christmas, 53, suffered minor injuries. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Two people were injured Sunday night after a police car struck them as they lay in a Florida roadway, apparently to watch the lunar eclipse, according to multiple reports. >> Read more trending news The incident happened just before midnight Sunday near the Apoxee Trail, a 2.5-mile nature trail in West Palm Beach, according to WPBF and city officials. A police officer was patrolling the trail Sunday in a Ford Explorer when he struck a man and a woman, both 24, while traveling 5 mph, WPEC and WPBF reported. At the time, the area was extremely dark, according to officials. Police told WPBF that investigators believe the pair was lying in the road to photograph and watch the super blood wolf moon lunar eclipse. They were taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, according to the news station. The officer who struck the pair, who was not identified, was placed on paid administrative leave as police investigate the incident, WPEC reported. Authorities continue to investigate.

Speaking at a commemoration of what would have been her father’s 90th birthday, Rev. Dr. Bernice King criticized the Trump administration Monday for misquoting her father’s works “to suit our own purposes.” >> Read more trending news King’s remarks were aimed at Trump’s border wall push and comments by Vice President Mike Pence, who during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said: “One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” “You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union,” Pence said on the show. “That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do. Come to the table in the spirit of good faith. We’ll secure our border, we’ll reopen the government and we’ll move our nation forward.” >> Reflecting on MLK: 'The baddest brother of the 20th century' On Monday, during remarks at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Bernice King said: “If we really want to make real the promises of democracy, now is the time on this King holiday to stop quoting King out of context and misquoting him to suit our own purposes.” The Ebenezer audience applauded warmly. Bernice King also called for action on problems facing the country, ranging from the partial government shutdown affecting federal workers’ livelihood to the resurgence of white supremacist ideologies and voter access problems. “We are in a state emergency because of our humanitarian crises, and it’s not at our southern border,” she said. “The concern for human welfare is being threatened.” “When prejudice and bigotry are emboldened…. when schools continue to be unsafe spaces because of impotent gun control laws…. this is a humanitarian crisis and we are in a state of emergency,” King said. >> Delta contributes grant funding to re-open MLK national park During remarks at the service, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., called for reflection on King’s words, saying: “He often reminded us that what united us is far greater than what divides us.” The service came on the holiday weekend when the Martin Luther Jr. National Historical Park reopened to visitors after a closure due to the partial federal shutdown. The reopening was funded with the help of a $83,500 grant from Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Reopened for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend through the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, are the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where King was co-pastor, the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, the park’s visitor center and historic Fire Station No. 6. “We ought to be concerned that the cradle of the civil rights movement is also the capital of income inequality in this country today,” said Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

A man was hospitalized Sunday after a police chase ended with him jumping off an overpass, according to officials. >> Read more trending news The incident started around 5 p.m. Sunday near 176th Street and Canyon Road in Spanaway when Pierce County deputies tried to stop a car that they say was being driven recklessly. Officials said the driver fled and police began a pursuit. During that time, the driver hit at least one vehicle, authorities said. The chase continued in the eastbound lanes of State Route 512 and onto the northbound lanes of State Route 167, where authorities said the suspect got caught up in traffic. Officials said the driver struck cars on an overpass. His car became so damaged it would no longer run, so he got out of the vehicle and jumped off the overpass, authorities said. Police said the driver fell at least 75 feet to the brush-covered ground below, near Valley Avenue East. Officials found him with multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung. He was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he underwent surgery, authorities said. The other people whose cars were hit suffered minor injuries, according to officials. Authorities said the suspect will face charges including eluding authorities and eight counts of hit-and-run. ﻿The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

CBO report stirs new debate over details of House GOP health plan

Posted: 4:00 am Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

By Jamie Dupree

As snow fell Monday night in the nation’s capital, both Democrats and Republicans were taking stock of a new report from the Congressional Budget Office, which gave each side plenty of talking points – for and against – a new GOP health bill in the Congress.

Let’s look at some of the highlights:

1. The CBO shows the GOP plan would reduce the deficit. The new Congressional Budget Office report on the Republican health care plan held positives for Republicans, like finding the federal deficit would be reduced by $337 billion over 10 years. While that was a number that GOP lawmakers were very happy to trumpet, $33.7 billion in savings each year for a decade wouldn’t really put a dent in the overall fiscal situation of the United States.

2. How much would the new GOP tax credits cost? The CBO estimated that the new refundable tax credit to help people buy health insurance would total $361 billion. But remember – that is not a full 10 year cost figure, because the tax credits don’t fully go into effect until 2020. In 2020, the CBO estimated the tax credits would cost $30 billion, but more than double to $68 billion by 2026, going up every single year of this estimate. Let’s just say the next three years, that figure stays at $70 billion for tax credits, that’s another $210 billion – which means the ten year cost would be closer to $600 billion.

3. What about premiums? How much will people pay? The report had a mixed outcome on the Republican bill for those who are under Obamacare right now in the exchanges on the individual insurance market. In the short term, the CBO found that premiums would go up – maybe by as much as 15-20 percent – but then start to level off and come down around 10 percent overall by 2026. While that’s a good outcome for the GOP, that bottom line reduction is nine years away.

PREMIUMS in indiv. market:Next 2 years – CBO says they will go up 15-20%.

4. Cutting funding to Planned Parenthood has hidden costs. Tucked in to the GOP health bill is a provision that is aimed at stripping funds from Planned Parenthood operations. This would be mainly money from the Medicaid program that goes to women’s clinical services. That move would save an estimated $234 million over 10 years. But – because there would be less money available for services that avert pregnancies, CBO estimates that Medicaid spending would jump by $77 million over ten years in dealing with more births, and extra Medicaid costs for some of those children. So, that reduces the savings to $156 million over ten years.

CBO finds defunding Planned Parenthood would lead to more births and cost Medicaid $77 million over 10 years

5. GOP insurance surcharge would deter some from coverage. While the Republican health plan would do away with the individual mandate, it has a provision that says if you don’t have continuous insurance coverage, then insurance companies can charge you extra to buy a new policy. The CBO estimates one million people would buy insurance to avoid that surcharge, but that another two million would go without insurance, and not pay the surcharge.

6. GOP plan goes against Trump promise on Medicaid. On the campaign trail, President Trump often sounded a policy note that was at odds with Republicans in the Congress, as he vowed not to touch entitlement programs. The CBO estimates that this GOP plan would reduce Medicaid spending by $880 billion over the next ten years. The CBO found that 14 million fewer people would enrolled in Medicaid over the next ten years. The big changes in Medicaid would start in 2020, when the expanded Medicaid plan under the Obama health law is rolled back.

I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me.

7. GOP plan increases the number of uninsured Americans. The basic numbers from the CBO review found that the House GOP plan would increase the number of people without health insurance by 24 million in 2026 (as you see in the table below, the uninsured figure would be 28 million under the Obama health law in 2026, and 52 million under the GOP AHCA plan). Democrats seized on that figure immediately, and are likely to keep up those attacks.

8. GOP says CBO didn’t take into account Phases 2 and 3. As Republicans digested the CBO report, they noted that the cost and coverage estimates were incomplete, since it only included the first phase of GOP efforts to overhaul the Obama health law. “It does not take into account prong two, executive actions the administration has and will continue to take to stabilize health markets and lower costs,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “It does not account for prong three, future legislative action. And because this CBO report paints only a third of the picture, its statistics on coverage are obviously premature.” But since the GOP hasn’t formulated those plans, it’s hard for the CBO to evaluate them.

9. Almost $900 billion in tax cuts. The CBO estimates that over ten years, the GOP plan will cut taxes by $882.8 billion, which includes everything from getting rid of the tanning tax, and allowing health insurance companies to write off more of their executive pay, to major reductions in taxes for Medicare and a high-earner ‘net investment tax.’

10. CBO: Older people would see higher costs. One of the sharpest lines drawn by the Congressional Budget Office is on what would happen to older Americans under the GOP health plan. In a table setting out examples for people in at age 21, 40 and 64, the comparison between the Obama health law and the GOP plan (with subsidies and then tax credits), it shows a gigantic jump in costs for Americans who are nearly on Medicare. Older people vote, and the AARP was already throwing its weight against the bill on Monday.

CBO estimates monthly health insurance premium for a single 64-year-old who makes $26,500 would jump more than 700% (from $1,700 to $14,600) pic.twitter.com/W59DHCfagv